1 plus 1 equals 2
by CrimsonxMoonlight
Summary: Soubi is depressed and no one is aware of Ritsuka’s abusive mother. When they stumble upon each other, they realize that their lives may be worth living after all. Some dark themes: abuse, self harm, possibly death not a main character R&R!
1. Spend your life living

I have no idea why I started writing this when I'm supposed to be working on my Gravi fic. I'm sorry those who were waiting for chapter 3 of "Overlap"…you are allowed to hit me with whatever you feel is necessary (I've found that baseball bats work quite well).

Any~who… I'm very tired. I wrote all 4,000+ words of this fic in one day and it is very late. This is my second fanfiction ever…I hope you enjoy!

I LOVE reviews!!!

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do ****not****, in any way own Loveless or the characters from Loveless. Nor have I ever, or will I ever own anything associated with Loveless.**

**

The air outside was freezing. Soubi watched the cloud of vapor that formed with every breath. He was alone, but he wasn't lonely. He was use to the solitary life. He didn't need anyone else, he didn't want anyone else.

The moon was bright overhead and the trees cast long, angular shadows across the well-groomed lawn of the park. Everything was silent. Not even a breeze was blowing. The only movement that could be seen was the twinkling of stars in the night sky. Soubi pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. He flicked the switch and a small, warm flame appeared. Soubi watched as it flickered. It seemed to be alive. Slowly, he raised the lighter to meet the end of the cigarette that he had placed between his lips.

Soubi exhaled. The vapor and smoke mingled together. The blond man closed his eyes and tilted his head back. The night was so peaceful, why couldn't it stay this way forever. If Soubi could remain like this, then he might be able to forget everything. But it was too late; he would never be able to forget.

He had nothing left to live for. His life was meaningless. He had lost it all, everything that was dear to him. It was all gone. In an instant, his world had been torn apart. His only love, his only desire, his only meaning had been obliterated. The walls of reality had come crashing in on him. Soubi had nothing now. He didn't want to continue on with his life, he didn't want to suffer through this torture.

Soubi fought back the sob that threatened to rip from his chest. He wouldn't lose. He wouldn't allow this vindictive world to ruin him. He would honor the last wishes of his love. Soubi wasn't to die, even if the rest of his life was nothing more than a hollow shell.

He stood up and ground the butt of his cigarette into the damp grass with his foot. Soubi took one last breath and began the journey home. As he got closer to the city, the silence began to fade. Soubi could hear the blare of car horns and sirens. The sharp pain in his temple would soon return. He couldn't handle this world. It was too much. How he longed for it to all end.

Soubi climbed the steps to his apartment door and reached into his pocket to retrieve his key. He unlocked the door and entered. It was dark and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. His apartment was incredibly bare. The only piece of furniture was a large couch. The rest of the room was filled with canvas, paint, rags, dishes, mugs, and a bunch of other shit. Soubi sighed and closed the door behind him. He really should clean up the mess, but he had no motivation to do anything these days.

The artist walked over to the ragged couch and threw himself down. His eyes traced the cracks in the ceiling, but he didn't really see anything. The pain in his head was now almost unbearable. He let out a loud grown and turned over on his side. The room was spinning, his head felt like it was about to explode. Somehow, he managed to drag himself off of the sofa and into the bathroom. He opened the medicine drawer and pulled out a bottle. The pills inside were his lifeline. They eased the pain and numbed all of his senses. That was what he liked best. He didn't like to have to think or feel.

Soubi poured several small white pills into his palm and threw them down his throat. It wouldn't be long now until the headache was dulled and he could fall asleep. Sleep was another thing that Soubi enjoyed. You didn't have to do anything when you were asleep. No worries, no stress, no pain, no noise, nothing. Soubi felt the muscles in his shoulders begin to relax. He made his way back to the couch and crawled back on.

He could just imagine what he looked like. He was pitiful. Curled up into a ball and trembling. His apartment was a mess, his life was a mess. He didn't want to continue, but he couldn't give up. He had made a promise. He had sworn his entire being that he would continue to live. He couldn't give up yet.

**

Soubi woke in the morning to sunlight streaming through the tattered blinds on his window. Another day had come. All he had to do was survive the world for a few more hours, then he could go back to sleep. Soubi remembered that he didn't have very many of his pills left. He would have to do without today; he needed them in order to fall asleep. The blond man sat up and looked around the room. The sight was depressing. He couldn't stay here. He needed to get out today.

He stood up and made his way to the bathroom. He turned the handle in the shower and waited for the water to heat up. Soubi removed his dark jeans and undid the buttons of his navy shirt. The strange position that he had slept in the previous night had caused his muscles to knot and tighten. His entire body ached. Soubi shrugged the shirt off of his shoulders and stepped into the shower. The water was, at most, lukewarm. He cursed the shitty water heater in his building. It had never worked properly, and the man was tired of taking freezing showers all of the time.

After a few minutes, he climbed out of the shower and dried himself with a towel. He quickly ran a comb through his long blond hair and went to his small bedroom to find some clothes. He hardly ever slept in here. This area was off limits. It held too many memories. The room was filled with items that Soubi wanted to forget about, but didn't have the courage to throw away.

Most of these things had belonged to the man that he had loved. No, the man that he had worshipped. Soubi doubted that Seimei had ever had any feelings of compassion for him. He had been treated like a dog. He was the servant and Seimei was the master, but Soubi had loved him all the same. He had devoted his entire life, his entire soul, to Seimei's existence. Seimei was his god.

Then one day everything that he knew was pulled out from right under him. Seimei was hurt. Soubi had sat by his bedside for weeks, hoping that he would wake-up soon. Soubi's prayers were finally answered, but the story didn't have a happy ending. Seimei was conscious just long enough to give Soubi one last order: he was not to die. Soubi didn't understand. How could he remain living while he watched his entire existence slip away? Seimei was going to die, they both knew it. Why did Seimei want Soubi to remain living? Soubi had spent hours pondering this idea. The only conclusion that he could come up with was extremely painful. Soubi knew that Seimei had never been overly fond of him, but still. Seimei had most likely wanted Soubi to suffer. The sadist knew that living without his master would rip Soubi apart. Seimei's last wish was for Soubi to suffer in agony, but still, the blond man couldn't do anything but listen to his master's order. Seimei's will was absolute.

Soubi grabbed a pair of jeans and a black tea shirt from the closet and hurried out of the room. He felt like he was about to throw up. He needed to get out and distract himself. He dressed quickly and hurried out of the apartment. It was warmer out today and a slight breeze blew a wisp of his silky hair into his face. Autumn was just around the corner. Soubi watched as red and gold leaves danced across the ground. He took a deep breath and started walking.

He stopped and watched a small bird that was sitting on a branch of a tree. It was jet black with a little white starburst on its chest. Soubi watched as it hoped along the length of the branch, and wondered what it would feel like to have such an easy and free life. The bird looked down at the blond man and cocked its head to the side. Soubi stared at the bird for a few more seconds before it took off and flew away.

The park was bustling with children and mothers. Soubi decided to spend the day people watching. He sat down on a wooden bench and watched as families and friends scurried around, completely unaware of the pain and suffering in the world around them. Soubi wasn't quite sure how long he sat there. The park began to empty and the air was starting to get cold. Soubi was about to get up and leave when he saw something. A boy sat huddled underneath the slide. He was older than the other children that played hear, and Soubi was curious.

The man stood up and started to move closer in the direction of the boy. As he got closer, he noticed that the child was trembling. Was he shivering? Soubi wasn't sure. When he was only about six or seven feet away, he realized that the boy was crying. Quiet sobs escaped from his small frame. A breeze came up, causing both Soubi and the boy to shudder. It was starting to get very cold out.

Soubi wasn't sure what to do. Should he call someone? He couldn't just leave the boy. Soubi took a few more steps forward and asked, "Excuse me, are you ok?"

The boy turned around, startled. Soubi could see the trails on his face that had been made by his tears. He wiped his face on the back of his sleeve and said, "Uh, yah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I could call someone if you like."

The boy shook his head and stood up. Soubi's stomach lurched. The side of the boys head was a covered in cuts and bruises. How could someone do something so terrible to a child? The boy turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey! You need to go to a hospital. That looks bad."

"I'm fine. Please don't worry, I have to go."

Soubi couldn't just let the boy go. Who knew how he had gotten that injury. He needed to be treated right away.

"Please. Come hear. I can't just let you leave like that. That could be very serious," Soubi walked forward and wrapped his hand around the boy's small wrist. The boys face looked surprised, but he didn't put up a fight. Soubi looked into the deep violet eyes of the boy and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. This boy looked like Seimei. Soubi couldn't believe it. The breeze ruffled his raven hair, and his small lips parted to protest, but Soubi quickly scooped the boy into his arms and started off in the direction of the hospital.

Soubi was relieved when they were finally within sight of the hospital. The boy was starting to shiver from the cold and he looked like he was about half asleep. His head looked as if it had been hit repeatedly and there had obviously been quite a bit of force behind the beating. Who could have done this? Soubi couldn't imagine how someone could hit such a beautiful child. Everything about him was perfect.

Soubi carried the boy through the front doors and was immediately met by a small nurse with a very worried expression on her face. "Bring him right this way. We'll get him taken care of right away."

Soubi followed the nurse into a small room and set the boy on the bed. The raven haired boy opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but the nurse made him lay back down. He looked very confused and a little bit frightened. His violet eyes scanned the room and a he seemed to calm down a little bit when he saw Soubi.

"Where am I!?! I don't remember how I got here. Why are you still with me?"

"You were hurt. I brought you to the hospital, and you fell asleep on the way. It'll all be ok now, these people will help you. Do you want me to call your parents for you? They're probably worried."

"No… Its fine, she won't be worried. She probably doesn't even know that I'm gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I said I'm fine. Why are you here anyway? I don't even know you."

"I was worried. The doctor asked me to stay so I could answer some questions, then I'll leave if you like."

"Fine, I don't care. Stay or go…It doesn't matter to me."

Soubi knew that he couldn't leave the boy. This child was suffering and Soubi could see it. He may say that he didn't care, but Soubi knew that he wanted him to stay. He was lonely. He had said himself that his own mother didn't even care that he was out this late at night. Soubi was also fairly sure that the boy's injury had been his mother's doing.

The blond man watched as the boy closed his eyes and turned over. It wasn't long before his breathing became slow and even. Soubi lowered himself into one of the uncomfortable chairs in the hospital room and watched as the boy slept. After a few moments a young doctor walked into the room. "Hello, how are you doing this evening?"

Soubi stood up, "I'm fine."

"Good to hear. Now, would you mind me asking how exactly you know this boy?"

"Actually, I don't. I found him at the park and I was worried about his injury."

"I see. And was he alone at the park."

Soubi placed one of his hands behind his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "Yes. I didn't see anyone else. I asked if he wanted me to call someone for him, but he refused. It was cold outside, and I didn't want to just leave him."

"Thank you very much. His injuries aren't severe, but he seems to have a small concussion and several minor cuts. We'll have him stay the night and then he can go home tomorrow. Do you have any idea how we could contact his parents?"

"No, he wouldn't tell me. You'll probably have to ask him for his phone number once he wakes up."

"Okay, thank you for your help," The doctor turned to walk out of the room.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if it would be alright if a stayed here tonight. He doesn't seem to have anybody that he can talk to, and I would like to make sure that he's alright."

"Well, I assure you that he will be fine, and we don't usually let anyone who isn't family stay in the room, but seeing as you brought him in and he doesn't seem to have a guardian at the moment, I'll allow it."

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. If you need anything I have the night duty tonight so you can find me in my office."

"Ok, thank you again."

Soubi sat back down in his chair and looked at the boy. His hair was as black as midnight and his skin was a beautiful ivory. The boy had a small touch of pink on each of his cheeks and his soft lips were slightly parted. Soubi smiled.

_He's so pretty. Almost like a girl._

Now that Soubi could study the boy more closely, he noticed that the boy appeared to be a bit older that he had originally thought. He was small, but he looked to be in his early or mid teens. Maybe fourteen or fifteen. About the age that Seimei had been when Soubi had met him. This boy looked too much like Seimei. Soubi was amazed by the similarities. The hair, the lips, the nose. Everything was the same, except for the eyes. This boy had amazing eyes.

It wasn't long before Soubi himself began to grow tired. The only noises that could be heard were the soft breathing of the raven haired boy and a beeping coming from one of the many machines in the room. Soubi closed his eyes and realized, for the first time in several years, he wasn't in pain. He usually needed the help of strong medication if he wanted to fall asleep at night. Soubi gave the boy one last look and smiled. He really was adorable.

**

When Soubi woke the next morning the boy was still sleeping. Soubi felt better than he had in years. The room was quiet. Soubi closed his eyes and listened to the boy breathe. His attention was caught when the boy shifted in his bed. The blond man opened his eyes and watched the boy sit up. He looked drowsy and confused.

"Good morning."

The raven haired boy turned gave a small smile when he saw Soubi. Soubi could tell that he was relieved.

"Good morning," the boy replied.

"How are you? Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine, but why are you hea--"

The boy was interrupted when the doctor entered the room.

"Good morning, I see you're both awake. How are you doing, um, could I ask for your name?"

"Uh…Ri-Ritsuka."

"Ok, how are you feeling Ritsuka?"

"Fine, but I'm just a little bit confused."

"Yes, well this man was kind enough to bring you in yesterday. You seem to have sustained a few injuries. You have a few cuts and bruises and it looks like you have a small concussion but you should be just fine in a few days."

"Ok, thank you."

"Now Ritsuka. I can't release you without your parents' consent so would you mind giving me their phone number so I can call them."

"Uh, s-sure."

"Thank you."

The doctor handed Ritsuka a small pad of paper and a pencil. Soubi watched as he wrote out several digits and handed the paper back to the doctor.

"Thank you Ritsuka, I'll be back in a moment."

Once the doctor was gone Soubi directed his attention back at the boy. Ritsuka. Soubi thought the name fit him perfectly. Ritsuka sat with his face buried in his hands. Soubi wanted nothing more than to hold the boy, but all he could do was watch as Ritsuka cried. Slowly, Soubi approached the trembling figure and placed his hand on top of the boy's head. Ritsuka looked up, his violet eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong Ritsuka?"

"Nothing… It doesn't matter."

Soubi sighed and sat down in the edge of the bed, "Please tell me. I don't like to see you cry."

Ritsuka looked surprised and troubled, "Why should you care? You don't even know me."

"But I do care Ritsuka. Please, I want to help you. I need to help you."

"But you don't even kno-"

"That doesn't matter. I can't stand to see you in pain. Just tell me what's troubling you and I'll do whatever I can to make it better."

Ritsuka looked puzzled, but after a few seconds he lowered his eyes and began to speak, "I uh… I just, I don't want to go back home. The doctor will call my mom and she'll realize that I wasn't at home last night."

"Ritsuka… Did your mother do that to you? Did she hurt you?"

"No! This is why I didn't want to tell you. You don't even know me and you think you know what's best for me. Just leave me alone!"

"Ritsuka listen. If you tell me the truth I can help you. You don't need to worry. If you don't want to go back home I can make it so you don't have to. But you have to tell me the truth; you have to tell me everything."

"No. I can't. Mom needs me. I have to go home. She won't be able to survive on her own."

"You don't need to worry about that Ritsuka. She's the parent, not you. You don't have to take on those responsibilities yourself. Just tell me what happened."

"But…are you sure that, sh-she'll be alright?"

"Yes. There are people that can take good care of her. She'll be just fine," Soubi watched as tears began to fall from the beautiful violet eyes. It hurt to watch. But Soubi needed to help; he couldn't let this boy suffer any longer.

Ritsuka bunched the blanket in his fist and began to speak, "Mother doesn't love me anymore. She doesn't know who I am. There's something wrong with me… I'm just a burden. She shouldn't have to deal with me. She went through enough pain when brother died, I don't deserve her love."

"What do you mean? Ritsuka, you are worth it. You deserve more than just her love. You are her child. She should be watching over you, not harming you."

"But I'm not Ritsuka! I'm an imposter. Mother said that Ritsuka left her, and now she's lost both of her sons. Why did this happen? Why can't I just be her Ritsuka?"

"Soubi sat down on the bed and pulled Ritsuka into an embrace. He was surprised when the boy didn't try to resist, "It's ok Ritsuka. You don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

After Ritsuka had calmed down, Soubi explained that Ritsuka would have to talk to a lawyer, but if he told them everything that had happened, he wouldn't have to go back home. He would be safe.

Ritsuka seemed unsure, but had agreed. Soubi was amazed by the boy's bravery. He asked the boy if he had any close relatives that he could live with, but Ritsuka said that he didn't have any other family. Soubi knew that this was what he had been waiting for.

"Ritsuka, if you would like, you could live with me."

"I could…what? I don't know you. How could I live with you?"

"You don't know me now, but that doesn't mean we can't get to know each other better. I have a spare bedroom that you could have and you wouldn't have to move away from your friends or stay with a family that you don't know."

"Are you aware that you haven't even told me your name and you're trying to convince me to live with you?"

Soubi's face turned a light shade of pink as he realized this mistake, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. My name is Soubi Agatsuma."

"ok… Soubi."

"Yes?"

"You're not a pervert are you?"

"…Wh-what!?!...No, I'm not a pervert. Why would you say something like that?"

"I was just wondering. Seeing as you are so keen on living with a 15 year old boy."

"Hmmm… You don't really look 15."

"That's even worse! You pedophile! You wanted to live with me because you thought that I was a little kid!"

"Ri-Risuka… No…that's not…"

Suddenly Ritsuka burst into laughter, "Soubi, it's ok. I was just kidding. But will you really let me live with you, I mean, do you mind."

Soubi sighed and gave a small smile, "Of course not. I'm the one who suggested it. It would be no trouble at all."

"Well, thank you. You're really nice Soubi."

"I'll do anything for you Ritsuka, just ask."

**

Thank you for reading!!!

Finals are coming up soon in school so my updates may be a little bit slower, but I will try to update both of my stories as much as possible.

And by the way…I'm crazy about reviews, so take a few moments to click that little button down there and leave you praise, criticism, critique, or any other comments that you might have.


	2. Forever

Hello everyone! Here's chapter 2!!! YAY! There isn't too much happening in this chapter, but just wait… I'm trying to build up the suspense… Please review, favorite and add my story to your alert list. If you do I will love you forever…ad give you a cookie, or a lollipop, whichever you prefer.

And a HUGE thanks to Matsiko and Agatsuma Ritsuka for your reviews! You're both amazing! For being the first two to comment, you both get a cookie AND a lollipop!

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do ****not****, in any way own Loveless or the characters from Loveless. Nor have I ever, or will I ever own anything associated with Loveless.**

**

Soubi and Ritsuka sat in the hospital room in silence. Neither one had anything more to say. Soubi was still trying to convince himself that this wasn't a dream. Every few seconds, he would steal a glance at his beautiful Ritsuka. His Ritsuka. The boy was Soubi's possession now. He watched as the black haired boy examined his nails. He was just too cute.

The side of his face was now covered in bandages. Luckily, he hadn't needed any stitches and the doctor said that there shouldn't be any noticeable scaring. Ritsuka had seemed relieved to hear this, and Soubi was glad that the boy wouldn't have to wear a constant reminder of the events from the past few days.

The bright lights in the hospital room flickered. Ritsuka looked up at Soubi and gave a small smile. He still seemed slightly uncomfortable with the idea of moving away from his mother, but Soubi knew that the boy was ready to take this step. After five years of physical and emotional abuse, it was time to move on.

Soubi moved from the lumpy hospital chair and sat down on the edge of Ritsuka's bed.

"Don't worry about it. Everything will turn out fine. You'll be out of here in a few hours and then we can do whatever you want to."

"But who will tell my mother? What if she thinks that something happened to me? I don't want to worry her."

"I'll take care of everything Ritsuka. Please, just rest."

"I'm not sure I can do this Soubi."

"Ritsuka, I already told you, everything will be ok, I will always be here for you."

The boy gave a small nod and returned to looking down at his fingernails. Soubi sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

"Could you get me something to drink? Anything sweet."

"Sure, I think I can manage that."

Soubi walked out of the room and to the hospital cafeteria. There were only a few people there. A young man in a wheelchair stared at Soubi as he passed by. The blond man approached the counter and looked through the glass in front of him at the available food. He wasn't really even hungry, but he knew that he should eat something. He chose a bagel and bought a carton of chocolate milk for Ritsuka.

Soubi walked into the room and was met by a quick smile from the raven headed boy. He handed him the milk and Ritsuka gave him a brief thanks before drowning himself in the sugary liquid.

"Would you like me to get you another one?" Soubi asked with a small smirk on his face.

"No thank you. I'm fine now, I was just really thirsty."

Soubi was slightly startled when the door behind him opened and the doctor entered.

The doctor had a worried and confused expression on his face, "I'm sorry, but I called the number that you gave me and the woman that picked up said that she did indeed have a son named Ritsuka, but that he passed away about five years ago. She told me that she had lost both of her children. Does this mean anything to you?"

Ritsuka just stared up at the physician. His mother had lied? No, she hadn't lied, not really. It was true that she had lost both of her sons. Ritsuka, the real Ritsuka, had left her, and Seimei was dead. But why would she say something like that? Didn't she care at all that Ritsuka was in the hospital? The boy felt himself trembling, he tried to force back his tears, but a few managed to escape.

Soubi knelt down so that he could hold Ritsuka's small frame. The doctor looked at the man, his eyed filled with confusion about the situation, and sympathy for the boy.

Soubi turned so that he could whisper into Ritsuka's ear, "I'll take care of all of this Ritsuka. It'll be ok. I'm here for you, I'll do anything for you."

The boy just nodded and took a deep breath. Soubi gave Ritsuka a worried look and stood up.

"Excuse me doctor, but do you think that we could talk outside."

"Of course"

The two men left the room and closed the door behind them. There was a short pause before Soubi started to speak. "While it is true that I don't know Ritsuka very well, I do know his family. I didn't realize it at first, but he is the younger brother of one of my good friends. I have met his mother before and I don't believe that she is a suitable guardian. I have no proof, but I have a strong feeling that Ritsuka's mother is abusive towards him. Ritsuka's older brother passed away a few years ago, but before he died he told me that his little brother had lost his memories and that it was extremely distressing to all of the members of the family. Their mother had been unstable for quite a few years, but he was worried that she might start lashing out at his younger brother. It wasn't long after that, that he died. Ritsuka's mother has gone through a lot of stress and I'm afraid that she could be taking it all out on her son."

"I see… thank you very much for telling me this. While we were treating him, we discovered that he had many injuries. Some were quite old, while others were fairly new. Many seemed to have healed incorrectly, or never had been treated in the first place. I was slightly suspicious, but I was going to wait until I could talk to the boy's parents before I said anything. I can't do anything until I have proof of the abuse though. If you could get him to tell someone, we could help him."

"I have already discussed this with him. He may be willing to tell someone, but he's worried about what will happen to his mother."

"I've deal with patients with similar concerns before, usually a child or spouse that is suffering from abuse feels that it is his or her fault and often returns to their abuser, only to be wounded again. It is usually hard for them to tell anyone about the abuse because they feel that it is their fault. If we could convince Ritsuka to tell someone, I'm sure that we could get him away from his mother."

"That's what I've been hoping for. I'll talk to him about it."

"Ok, thank you. Right now I'm not able to release him without parental consent, but if we can prove that his mother is abusive, I'll be able to discharge him."

Soubi nodded and entered the hospital room. Ritsuka gazed up at him with a pained look on his face. Soubi felt like his heart was being ripped into a thousand pieces. He couldn't stand to see the boy so upset. The blond man walked over and took the raven haired boy's hand onto his own. He didn't know how to explain everything to Ritsuka. He wanted the boy to be happy, and he refused to allow him to live with his violent mother. He didn't want to see him hurt or in pain.

"Ritsuka, I know this is hard, but you need to make some very important decisions. I talked to the doctor and he said that he thinks it would be best if you told someone about what your mother is doing."

"Soubi! You told someone! Why did you do that? I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

"But it is a big deal. And he's a doctor, so it's fine, you would have had to tell someone anyway. Unless you were planning on going back to her. I don't want you to live with someone that hurts you. It's not right, I won't let you do this to yourself."

"…Soubi…Why are you doing this? You don't even know me. And you don't know my family. Why are you doing so much for me, you don't have any reason to."

"When I saw that you were hurt I knew that there was no way I could just leave you, but there was also something else. You looked familiar, like someone I use to know, and it wasn't until I heard about your mother that I figured it out. You're Seimei's little brother. I can't leave you, I want to be here for you."

A shocked looked passed over the boys face. "You knew Seimei!?! Were you his friend? How close were you two? Wha--"

"Ritsuka, it's too complicated for me to explain here. I promise, I'll tell you everything. But right now we need to concentrate on getting you out of here. Your mother isn't coming and they won't release you unless they have parental consent. Do you think you could call your father? If not you're going to have to talk to some people about the abuse before you get out of here, and even then, I'm not exactly sure what will happen to you."

"I don't know. I haven't talked to my dad in months. He's never home; he doesn't want anything to do with me. I don't even know his work number."

"Ok then, do you know the company that he works for? If so we can look up the number."

"Yah, I think I know." Soubi left the room and came back a few minutes later with a phone book. He placed it on Ritsuka's lap and watched as the boy flipped through the thin pages. "Here it is. I found the number."

"Good, I'll give it to the doctor. He'll call your father and explain everything. After you get out I can call someone for you. A therapist maybe… you just need to tell someone. Everything will be fine then. I know it'll be hard, but you need to do his Ritsuka. Do this one thing for yourself, don't give up. You deserve so much more."

"Th-thank you Soubi. I still don't understand why you're doing this, but I really appreciate it."

"I already told you Ritsuka, I'll do anything for you. Just ask."

Soubi sat down on the bed next to Ritsuka and pulled the boy into an embrace. Why did he feel so much compassion towards the small boy? Soubi didn't know, and at the moment, he didn't really care. Who knew why love worked in the strange ways that it did. The man knew that this one was special. There was something there, something linking the two, and it had nothing to do with Seimei. For the first time Soubi could remember, his life was not being dominated by Seimei. It was a little frightening.

The blond man held the boy tighter. Ritsuka relaxed and let himself lean against the older man's wide chest. Soubi gazed down at the beautiful person before him. He never wanted to let go. Slowly, he placed his hand under Ritsuka's chin and lifted his face so that their eyes met. Soubi felt overpowered by the clear violet eyes before him. They were so deep, so pure, filled with emotions that Soubi struggled to understand. Was he upset, nervous, scared? Soubi placed his other hand against the boy's cheek. The porcelain skin took on a faint rosy hue. His face was warm and soft. Soubi leaned in closer so that their breaths intermingled. Ritsuka just stared into the man's eyes. Soubi could see that the boy wanted him. The man's heartbeat accelerated, and his breathing hastened. Seeing the boy's hungry eyes only made his desire greater.

Soubi wasted no time as he closed the distance between them. He could feel Ritsuka's soft lips against his, smell his warm vanilla scent. Everything was perfect, complete. He wished for this moment to never end. Soubi vowed to never let anyone lay a hand on his beautiful Ritsuka. He would protect him with his life.

Ritsuka and Soubi pulled apart so that they could both catch their breath. Soubi watched in amusement as the boys face turned from a light pink to a deep red. "Soubi… what was…why?..."

"… Ritsuka…I love you."

"Wha- Soubi? You can't just say something like that! You have to mean it. It means nothing if you just say it without really loving that person."

"But Ritsuka, I do love you. You're everything to me. I want to stay with you. I'll do anything for you. I mean it, with all my heart, I really do."

"But Soubi… You can't… I mean, you barely know me. You can't love me."

"Obviously I can," Soubi leaned closer to Ritsuka and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. "You can't hide it Ritsuka, it's no good. I know that you want me to stay, and I have no intention of leaving."

"S-Soubi! You don't know what I want! I never asked for you to be here with me. I never said that I wanted you to stay." Soubi watched as a few stray tears escaped from the boy's eyes. "You say that you love me, but it can't be true, I don't believe you! Why are you doing this? Don't waste your time with me. I'm worthless…"

"Ritsuka, it's too late. I can't leave you. You can believe whatever you want, but the truth is I love you," Soubi grabbed one of the boy's hand and held it tight. Ritsuka was crying again, and it tore Soubi to pieces knowing that he was the cause if it. He just sat there silent as he waited for the boy to calm down. Ritsuka eventually stopped crying and looked up at the man before him. He didn't understand why Soubi wanted to stay with him, but he was grateful for it.

Soubi watched as the boy struggled with his emotions. He knew that Ritsuka liked him, but he also saw the worry in the boy's eyes. What was he afraid of? Was he frightened that Soubi would leave him? The man hoped that the neko would be able to see sincerity in his eyes. He wanted Ritsuka to believe him, to trust him. The boy seemed to understand the message that Soubi was trying to convey. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod, "Ok Soubi, stay here."

Soubi couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face, "Thank you."

The two sat silently, hand in hand. The silence was interrupted only by the sound of their breathing. Soubi watched as Ritsuka stared at the wall. His cheeks were still tinged with the ghost of a blush.

The door to the room clicked open and the doctor entered. "Hello. I have some good news; I was able to contact Ritsuka's father and he agreed to come down and fill out the release forms. However, he said that he was extremely busy this evening so he would have to do it in the morning. I'm sorry, but it appears that you will have to stay just one more night."

Ritsuka looked up at the doctor and smiled. "It's ok. Actually, I was wondering if I could, um, maybe talk to someone before I leave the hospital. I don't know how long it will take for everything to get sorted out and I've realized that I don't want to go home anymore. I have too much to handle right now; I think that this might work out better."

"Yes, of course. We have social workers here at the hospital. I can ask if one of them could stop by tonight. I think you've made a brave decision, not many people in your situation are able to do that."

"Thank you very much."

"Of course." The doctor turned and walked out of the room.

Soubi smiled and placed his hand on top of Ritsuka's leg. "That was great Ritsuka."

"It's all thanks to you Soubi."

"No, that took a lot of courage to say. It had nothing to do with me. You really are amazing Ritsuka, I think it's about time that you knew that. I love you."

"Soubi, stay with me."

"Forever"

Ritsuka leaned back against the pillows and grabbed Soubi's hand so that he could pull him down with him. Both of them were on their side, facing each other. Ritsuka moved closer to the man and buried his face in his shirt. He inhaled Soubi's unique scent; it was a mixture of smoke, paint and the scents carried by a breeze. Soubi wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him even closer. Ritsuka sighed happily and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before his breathing became slow and steady. Soubi gazed down at his sleeping Ritsuka; he couldn't have been any happier.

**

The next morning Soubi was woken by Ritsuka's doctor. He was standing over the bed, eyeing the man and boy intertwined beneath him. Soubi sat up and stifled a yawn. Ritsuka stirred beside him and pulled the covers up over his head.

"Good morning," said Soubi, smirking at the man before him.

"Well, good morning. You two seemed to have slept quite well. I just came in to inform you that Ritsuka's father stopped in quite early this morning and filled out his release forms."

"Oh, that's good. When will Ritsuka be able to leave?"

"He should be free to go in about an hour, but before that I would like to have him speak with one of the councilors here at the hospital. I sent someone to the room last night as was requested, but she said that you were both asleep by the time she got here." The doctor was trying in vain to suppress a small smile while he said this.

"Hmmm… yes, I suppose that was my fault. I forgot that you were going to send someone."

"It's quite alright. She should be here in a few minutes…So Ritsuka; I would advise that you get out of bed now." The boy just groaned and pulled the sheets further over his head.

Both men gave a small chuckle and the doctor walked out of the room. Soubi turned to the ball of wrinkled sheets, "Ya'know Ritsuka. I think he's probably right. You really should get up now."

The boy slowly emerged from his cocoon of blankets. Soubi offered a smile and bent down to kiss Ritsuka on the lips. "Good morning, my darling."

"What did you just call me!?!"

"Nothing, Ritsuka."

"That's what I thought."

Ritsuka moved forward so that he could kiss Soubi again. He didn't know what it was about the simple kisses, but they were amazing. Every time Soubi touched him, his heartbeat turned erratic and his face got hot. This was what Soubi loved the most. He loved how a simple kiss could get such a huge reaction from the boy.

"Are you ready for all of this Ritsuka? The therapist is going to be here any minute. You're going to have to tell her everything. Don't hold back, this is your chance."

"I know, I'm ready."

Soubi gave the boy one more swift peck on the lips before he stood up and put on his glasses. Ritsuka remained in the bed, twirling his fingers as he waited for the therapist to arrive. Just on time, the door cracked open and a small woman with dark brown hair entered the room. She was very short and had a delicate frame. A pair of half rimmed glassed were perched on the bridge of her nose and small pearl earrings hung by her neck.

"Good morning. My name is Saika, nice to meet you."

**

Ok, that's where I'm going to end this chapter. It would have been a little longer, but I wanted to get something posted soon. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I've been busy with school…blah…

Not long until the end of school though YAY! I should be able to update way faster then

Thank you for reading chapter 2!!! I'm having a small case of writers block, but I hope to be over it soon enough.

Reviews are like my bread and water. Without them, I have no inspiration to work on my stories, so PLEASE PLEASE! Leave your reviews, anything is fine, I just want to hear from YOU! (Yes you! Right there looking at the computer screen… go click the review button)

Ok, I'm going to stop rambling now, see you next chapter!


	3. Move On

Hello all! Here is chapter 3! I'm really really sorry that it took so long for me to update…

Holy crap! I want to thank everyone who left a comment, I got a bunch even though I didn't update for over a month… So thank you, thank you, promocat, Catmunk, Agatsuma Ritsuka (again), Miki, JollyRandom, xINFRAxREDx, hopesterocks, promocat (again), Dared-to-be-different I LOVE YOU ALL! You all get a cookie. Since Catmunk was the only one who actually made a request, you can have two cookies, okay? =]

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do ****not****, in any way own Loveless or the characters from Loveless. Nor have I ever, or will I ever own anything associated with Loveless.**

**

From Chapter 2: _Soubi gave the boy one more swift peck on the lips before he stood up and put on his glasses. Ritsuka remained in the bed, twirling his fingers as he waited for the therapist to arrive. Just on time, the door cracked open and a small woman with dark brown hair entered the room. She was very short and had a delicate frame. A pair of half rimmed glassed were perched on the bridge of her nose and small pearl earrings hung by her neck. _

"_Good morning. My name is Saika, nice to meet you."_

**

Soubi turned to Ritsuka and gave a swift nod before leaving the room. The boy moved onto his knees so that he could lean forward and shake the woman's hand.

"Hello, I'm Ritsuka."

"I'm glad we were able to meet Ritsuka. I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say. You can tell me anything you want to, I just want to help." The therapist moved over to the uncomfortable chair in the corner and sat down. Ritsuka watched as she pulled out a pad of paper and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Shall we begin, Ritsuka?"

"Alright"

**

Soubi leaned up against the wall outside of the room for a few minutes. Would Ritsuka be ok? Would he be able to give her all the information that she needed? Soubi knew that there was nothing that he could do but sit back and wait for everything to work out. People passing through the halls stared at the man who was just standing there. Soubi was anxious and the whole hospital setting was beginning to get on his nerves. The blond man moved from off the wall. His shoes echoed off of the hospital's hard white floor. He maneuvered through the maze of hallways and rooms with ease until he came to the front entrance.

Outside it was sunny. The air was warm and the blue sky was nearly cloudless. Soubi walked out into the beams of light that were radiating down from the sky and pulled out a cigarette. In a few moments, much of the stress and worries from the previous day had melted away. Soubi smiled at the thought of bringing Ritsuka home with him. His life had lost all meaning before. He had nothing left to live for. But now there was something for him to focus on; to pour all of his love and attention into. Now he had Ritsuka.

After Soubi had finished his cigarette, he bought a bottled water from one of the vending machines and made his way back into the hospital. The air inside the building was stale and unpleasant. Soubi doubted that it was any good for the patients that were trying to recover here. The blond man followed the route back to Ritsuka's room. The door was still closed. So he didn't enter. How long would this take? Would everything work out ok? Soubi realized that he was getting worked up again. He reassured himself that everything was going to turn out fine. Ritsuka wouldn't be hurt by his mother anymore, and Soubi would be able to take care of him now. He didn't need to worry.

Soubi sat in silence and stared at the blank wall across the hall. The minutes ticked away, but to him it felt like hours. Finally, the door to the room swung open the small woman exited. She turned and gave a small smile to Soubi. He wanted to ask her how everything had gone. Had she gotten the information that she needed? What was going to happen now? But all he did was quickly return the smile before entering into Ritsuka's room.

The boy was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed. His eyes looked down at the hands folded in his lap, but he wasn't crying. Soubi wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign.

"…Ritsuka…"

The neko looked up at the man before him. His eyes were full of emotion. Soubi could see the worry, the anger, the relief, and maybe something more. Ritsuka sat silent for only a moment before propelling himself at Soubi. The man wrapped his arms around the small boy. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew that all he needed was Ritsuka. Soubi sat down in the bed, all the while keeping the boy in a tight embrace. His hand began to move in calming circular motions on the back of the teen. He felt the wet warmth of the boy's tears against his shoulder. It was killing him to see the teen in so much pain.

"Ritsuka, please answer me. What happened? You can tell me, it's alright."

A few indistinguishable words escaped from the teen in the form of sobs. Soubi had no idea what Ritsuka was trying to tell him and he didn't know how to comfort the boy.

"Ritsuka calm down, it's ok, I'm here. I won't go anywhere, but you need to relax. I can't understand anything that you're saying."

The boy removed his face from Soubi's chest and gazed up at the man. A few stray tears escaped from his beautiful violet eyes and landed softly on his hospital gown.

"I'm sorry Soubi, but I just don't know what to feel right now. I told the lady everything and she said that she had enough evidence to convince a judge that I should be allowed to move out, but I'm going to have to stay here until she can talk to someone. She said that I should be able to leave by the end of the day, but I don't know what I'm going to do. Where will I go? How am I going to live without my mother Soubi?"

"Have you been listening to anything that I have been telling you? You need to stop worrying. I'm here for you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're more than welcome to stay with me; in fact, I would feel much better if I was able to keep an eye on you. I love you Ritsuka, you may not understand why, but you need to accept it. Nothing will ever be able to change that; not now, not ever."

Soubi held the boy's beautiful face between his hands and gazed into his deep eyes. The black haired teen looked back with a hopeful expression. Maybe life would turn out ok for him after all.

Soubi smiled and pulled Ritsuka into another embrace. They sat together for several moments before the neko's gentle voice broke the silence.

"I'm scared Soubi. I don't know what's going to happen."

"That's ok Ritsuka. You don't need to worry about the future. All that matters is what is happening right now. Everything will be just fine. I'm very proud of you for talking to the therapist. You will be out of here today and I will stay by your side every step of the way. You don't need to worry about anything from here on out, I'll take care of it all."

Ritsuka nodded in understanding and placed his forehead against Soubi's shoulder. The tears had stopped now, but he was obviously still distressed. The next few hours passed with minimal events. Mostly, Ritsuka and Soubi sat together on the bed. The teen appeared to still be having some difficulties accepting that things were going to be different. He seemed relieved enough that he wouldn't have to endure any more beatings, but he was anxious about the separation from his mother. The only things that Soubi could do were, to hold the boy close and offer him reassuring words. Time passed by slowly as they both waited to hear back from Saika, the therapist.

The sun started to creep downwards and the sky was illuminated with a brilliant orange-red glow. Ritsuka was still weak from his injuries and it wasn't long before his eyelids began to droop. He was nearly sleeping when the door clicked and the familiar face of the therapist came into view. She carried a gentle smile on her face and appeared to be tired. Soubi watched as she moved over to a chair without saying a word. She sat down, pulled out a notebook, and repositioned her glasses on her nose.

"Hello, I'm very sorry that this whole process has taken so long, but the good news is that there won't be too much longer until you can be done with all of this."

Soubi looked down at the drowsy teen. The boy rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and blinked at Saika. "Thank you for doing all of this for me."

"It was no problem Ritsuka. This is my job after all."

Soubi was still confused about what was going on. "Excuse me, but do you have an idea of when Ritsuka will be allowed to leave?"

The therapist seemed to be slightly embarrassed that she had neglected to reveal the most important information. "Oh, of course. I spoke with a few people today and got all of the issues sorted out. We have permission to release Ritsuka, but I am a bit concerned about where he will be staying. Personally, I don't think that his father is responsible enough to find a place for him to stay. Did you have any ideas of who would be looking after him?"

"Actually, I was planning on having him stay at my house."

Saika nodded and turned to Ritsuka, "Are you comfortable with this? It sounds like a good solution to me, but I need to make sure that you are happy with this decision. If not, I can find another place for you to live. There's a shelter that takes in children only a few hours away."

Ritsuka felt Soubi's hand gently squeeze his own, and he tightened his grip in response. "No, I'm comfortable living with Soubi. I don't want to leave my school or my friends. Thank you for your help though."

"Very good, I'm glad that you have someone that you can rely on. I'll be back with a few papers that I will need you both to sign, and then you will be free to leave."

Soubi nodded to the therapist and watched as she disappeared through the doorway. The room was silent once again. Ritsuka yawned and smiled up at the older man. The blond moved his hand to the top of the boy's head and began to gently massage his cat ears. The neko's muscles relaxed and his tail swished from side to side. Soubi leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on the small lips of the teen.

The boy smiled again and returned the kiss. "I'm glad that you're here Soubi."

"Of course, I will do anything for you Ritsuka."

The door to the room was pushed open once again when the therapist reentered, carrying a small quantity of papers. She separated them in two and handed both Ritsuka and Soubi each several sheets and a pen. They read over the various release forms and signed and initialed on all the required areas. Once they had finished, they returned the papers and waited as Saika quickly read over them before placing them in a folder.

Ritsuka seemed very relieved that he was finally being allowed to leave. The doctor had returned with the teen's clothes and Soubi stepped outside of the room so that the boy could change. After a few minutes, the neko emerged from the room. His face was starting to heal now. The swelling and discoloration was nearly gone, and the cuts and scratches were looking better.

Soubi smiled as the boy took his hand in his own and proceeded to lead him out of the building. The day was slowly disappearing and evening was beginning to set in. Two nurses followed them to the door and reminded Ritsuka to take the medication that he had been given. He assured them that he would be fine and waved back at the two as they returned through the front doors.

"Are you ready to go, Ritsuka?"

"Yes, but what are we going to do?"

"We need to do some shopping. I haven't had anyone living with me for quite a long time, so there really isn't much at all in my house. I don't even have any decent furniture.

"Are you sure Soubi? You don't need to buy anything for me. I'll be just fine."

"No, I've been putting off doing this for quite some time now. I have some money put away just for this type of thing. We'll go get you a new bed and some clothes and whatever else you need, and then we should probably get some more food too. Do you think you'll be up for all that?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Alright, it's starting to get late, so we'll just pick up a few quick things today. We can start the real shopping in the morning."

Soubi took the teen's hand in his own and led him down the sidewalk. He listened to the two separate sets of steps on the sidewalk. It had been so long since he had been this close to another person. The teen's hands were small and warm. Ritsuka walked close alongside Soubi, looking down at the concrete. They continued moving forward at a steady pace. It was peaceful out and both wanted to enjoy the time that they were spending with each other. They passed the park where Soubi had first seen Ritsuka. The blond man watched the boy advert his eyes. The memories were obviously still fresh and painful, so Soubi changed their direction and held Ritsuka's hand tight as they left the park behind them.

They entered the area of town where most of the shops and stores were. Soubi scanned the different signs at the entrances. The first store that they entered was an outdoor supply store. Ritsuka seemed confused as to why they were in such a place, but didn't bother to ask. The older man led Ritsuka down several isles of camping and hiking gear. He stopped when he finally located what they had been searching for. Soubi reached over and examined several boxes with pictures of sleeping bags on the front. After only a few moments he decided on one and lifted it off the shelf. Ritsuka followed Soubi over to a counter where the man paid for what he had bought. After the purchase was made, the two left the shop together.

Soubi cast a concerned glance down at the boy before he was sure that the neko was fine. Next, they stopped at a small grocery store where they bought some milk, bread and cereal to eat the next morning. Ritsuka carried only the loaf of bread while Soubi got the rest. He had offered to take more of the groceries, but Soubi had refused the help. The blond man walked a few feet ahead of the boy. All that was left was a relatively short walk to Soubi's apartment. They approached the bottom of the steps and Soubi informed the boy that he had finally arrived at his new home.

It didn't look like much from the outside, or the inside for that matter, but Ritsuka didn't seem to mind. He was just happy that he had a welcoming place to stay, with someone who would love him. The floor was still littered with art supplies and empty boxes. The furniture looked extremely shabby in the dim light. Soubi showed Ritsuka a small room without a bed. The blond man rarely ever entered this room. It was much cleaner than any other area of the house. He carried in the sleeping bag that they had purchased and spread it out in the floor.

"I hope you don't mind staying in here Ritsuka."

"No, this is fine."

"Ok, I'm glad. Actually, I thought that you might want to sleep here. I never really come into this room, but a few years back, when Seimei would come over, he would always stay in here. There use to be a bed and a dresser, but I took those out a while ago. We can go pick out some new furniture just for you tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you Soubi… but can I ask you something?"

"It's about Seimei right?"

"Well, um yes."

"It's fine Ritsuka, I need to tell you."

Soubi sat down on the floor. He placed his hands on Ritsuka's hips and gently pulled the boy into his lap. The neko didn't resist and leaned back against Soubi; he could feel the blond man's heart beating form within his chest.

"I met your brother several years ago. Our relationship was complicated, I'm not sure you will be able to understand that part of your brother. Most outsiders were quick to judge him. People distrusted and misunderstood him. On the exterior he was cold and unsympathetic to others, but I could see who he really was. Beneath his tough exterior he had a soft spot. And that soft spot was you. Whenever he mentioned you, I could see something else in his eyes. Something more than what he would care for me to know. I respected him, looked up to him, and most of all, I loved him."

"…Soubi, I didn't know. I had no idea that you and Seimei were…"

"Of course, Seimei didn't want you to know. He didn't want you to know of the things that he did. He was an incredible person, but he still did things that were not understood; even by me. His mind was unique; impossible to understand. I loved him with all my heart, but I knew that he never felt the same way. You were the only thing that mattered to him. So now it is my job to protect you. I love you Ritsuka, I will always love you. I had lost everything. I had no reason to live, but now I've found you. I will do anything for you Ritsuka."

"That's not right. You shouldn't say that. When you love someone, you love them for everything that they are. I am not my brother. Don't tell me that you love me unless you really do."

"Ritsuka, I love you."

"Soubi! I said not to! I don't want to hear you say that. You think that you love me, but all that you really love is the idea of me. You love the part of Seimei that loved me. My brother is dead; that part of him is dead also. You can't keep holding on. I am not a way for you to cling to Seimei. I'm my own person."

"I know that. I really do love you for you. I've loved you from the moment I first saw you crying in the park. There is no way that I could forget you; I can't live without you."

Ritsuka had turned around in Soubi's lap so that they were now facing each other. The boy was peering into the older man's eyes, but all that he found there was a deep sincerity. The neko sighed and wrapped his arms around the blond man's neck. Several tears managed to escape from between his dark eyelashes. Soubi felt them as they landed gently on his shoulder. He held the boy tighter and moved his mouth beside the raven headed boy's ear.

"I love you Ritsuka. I will always love you."

"I love you too Soubi."

They stayed in each other's arms for what felt like hours. It was now pitch black outside and Ritsuka was growing very tired. The boy tried in vain to stifle a small yawn, but Soubi shook his head and lifted the boy into his arms.

"You've had a very difficult past few days. It's time for you to go to sleep."

Ritsuka nodded slightly, he was too tired to argue with the older man. Soubi set the small neko softly onto the sleeping bag and zipped it up. The boy yawned again before snuggling down into the warm bedding. Soubi smiled and leaned down so that he could place a gentle kiss between Ritsuka's two cat ears. The boy's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at the blond man for a few moments before he closed them again and whispered, "Thank you Soubi. I love you."

"I love you too, my precious Ritsuka."

**

Thank you so much for reading!

And I am so so so so so so so so sorry for the really late update!

However, I will be going to my aunt's house for a couple of weeks, so unless I can find my flashdrive and work on it there, it might be a while until the next update…please don't hurt me…

On a happier note, (for me at least) School is over and I am happy to say that all the time I spent studying instead if writing was not wasted. I got a 94% on my math final! And I was in the top ten students for highest GPA this year! YAY!

So thank you everyone who was patient in waiting for this chapter to come out

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!


	4. Blood

Hello my readers! Here is chapter 4 of 1+1=2! This chapter is quite long and I was wayyy to lazy to read through all of this more than once. That means that there will probably be multiple mistakes throughout the entire thing. I'm sorry about this, but I mean this chapter is long… over 5,400 words!

Now let me thank my little reviewers. A HUGE "thank you" goes out to promocat, xINFRAxREDx, Catmunk, JollyRandom, chochowilliams, Matsiko, and EmoFreak. Cookies for all of you! Please review again and tell me what you think of this new chapter. I'm not totally sure if I even like it, though it took me forever to write.

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do ****not****, in any way own Loveless or the characters from Loveless. Nor have I ever, or will I ever own anything associated with Loveless.**

**

_From Chapter 3:__ Ritsuka nodded slightly, he was too tired to argue with the older man. Soubi set the small neko softly onto the sleeping bag and zipped it up. The boy yawned again before snuggling down into the warm bedding. Soubi smiled and leaned down so that he could place a gentle kiss between Ritsuka's two cat ears. The boy's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at the blond man for a few moments before he closed them again and whispered, "Thank you Soubi. I love you."_

"_I love you too, my precious Ritsuka."_

**

Soubi could hardly sleep that night. He was overjoyed with the thought of having Ritsuka stay with him, but there was still something throbbing at the back of his mind. For the past few days, the boy had been his drug. He hadn't needed anything else. The world was calm and manageable for the first time in a long while, but things were staring to change. The forbidden pool of memories had been agitated. He was starting to remember the things that he had securely locked away. He loved Ritsuka, but at the same time just being in his presence was difficult. There were so many similarities. He couldn't look at him without seeing Seimei. The young neko was the thing that Soubi wanted most, but he knew that he couldn't have.

He had dedicated his entire life, his entire being, to one and only one person. He would never be able to forget Seimei. He could never move on, or get over the past. He knew that he had to try to fake it though. He couldn't allow Ritsuka to see him like this. His eyes were clouded and the pain in his head was starting to grow. Nothing could stop the swirling emotions that threatened to choke him. He knew that this would never end. He had an eternal bond with Seimei. His life was nothing more than a circle of false hopes and painful endings. He had to learn to shield himself. The pain caused by love was just too unbearable. He had to escape. There was no way to survive this torture.

The blond man got down on his knees and placed his hand beneath the couch. He was looking for something. He felt sick with guilt and regret the minute his hand found the small metal box. It fit in his hand perfectly. He removed it from under the piece of furniture and looked down at the silver finish of the lid. The container was icy. He wanted to look away. To look away and forget that he had ever seen this before, but it was too late. He couldn't turn back now. His mind was consumed with one thought and one thought only…..escape.

His long, slender fingers popped the tin lid off with ease. Inside lay two very small, very sharp razor blades. He had obtained them by disassembling a plastic, disposable razor. It had been a fairly easy task, and now he had the perfect tools. He swiftly removed one of the paper-thin pieces if metal. He placed the razor between his lips while his nimble hands undid the buttons of his shirt. He let the material slip off of his shoulders and land on the floor. His hand moved upward and removed the sliver of steel from his lips. He held it carefully between his thumb and forefinger. His body began to tingle with a mixture of panic and longing. He placed the blade against the skin of his left shoulder and waited a moment before swiftly dragging it in a downwards motion.

A sharp pain pulsed through him, before dulling to a burning sting. Red droplets grew rapidly along the line that had been left by the razor. As the crimson spheres increased in size, they joined together, growing heavier, before rolling down Soubi's pale skin. He didn't make any move to stop the blood from flowing. He concentrated on the feeling of the warm drops as they cooled, leaving a sticky trail behind them. He was in his own world now. Everything else had been turned to low. All that mattered was the pain that was coursing through him. This was real. No one could tell him otherwise. He would always be able to feel the pain, see the blood.

The artist waited for the blood to thicken. When it had stopped flowing freely from the wound, he picked up the razor again and proceeded to create the crimson dashes. It wasn't long before his cuts stretched from shoulder to shoulder. The trails of blood covered his chest and abdomen. The entire area of his collar bone was tingling with pain. He moved his finger over this area; counting every raised line. There were thirty-three of them. Not bad work for one night. He placed the razor back in its small box and returned the container under the couch. Slowly, he stood up. He could feel some of the wounds reopening. The blood was starting to flow again. Soubi made his way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He paused to make sure that the water was as hot as the water heater would allow it to get before stepping in. The cuts were on fire now. The water entering the wounds caused an unpleasant burning feeling. The small pool that was forming at the blond man's feet was tinted red. Soubi pulled the drain up and watched as the bloody water drained away.

He made sure that his skin was clean of all of the blood before stepping out. The injured area was red and sore to the touch. Each cut stood out against his sickly pale skin. The red lines decorated his body; a reminder of how desperate Soubi was to be free. He hated himself for it. He gazed at the image in the mirror, and it made him want to throw up. He hated himself for doing something like this. He hated the world for being so unfair and cold. But at the same time, he felt calm. His body was numb. He was exhausted and didn't have much energy to think. He knew that he shouldn't have done this, but now he was free, even for just one night. The thoughts and the pain that constantly haunted his mind was now gone. He had escaped.

He dried himself with a towel carefully and redressed himself. His injuries were in an odd spot, so he didn't even bother to try to cover them with a bandage. He just had to hope that they wouldn't start to bleed again later. Just to be on the safe side, Soubi changed into an older black shirt instead of his light blue one. Hopefully the color would prevent any of the blood from being seen if the cuts did reopen.

The fabric of the shirt rubbed the raw, wounded area. This was extremely painful and unpleasant. Soubi laid himself down on the couch, and gently and settled into a comfortable position on his back. His mind was clearer now and within a few minutes the blond man was asleep.

**

The morning seemed to come much too soon for Soubi. He was determined to remain where he was and fall back asleep before remembering that Ritsuka was waiting in the other room. How had he managed to forget? He quickly got up. The area just below his collarbone screamed in protest as the man stood. His skin was now covered with rough scabs. The dried blood cracked and split as the man moved. He knew that the pain would only last a few more days, but he still already regretted having inflicted the wounds in the first place.

Soubi went into the bathroom to use the toilet and comb his hair quickly before walking over to the room where Ritsuka was sleeping. The boy was still unconscious even though it was now 10:30 am. Soubi didn't blame him; he had gone through a very traumatic past couple of days. The artist walked over to the sleeping bundle and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from the neko's face. He watched as the raven haired teen shifted slightly before slowly opening his violet eyes. He looked up at Soubi for a few seconds before he seemed to remember where he was. A smile quickly graced his lips before he pushed the sleeping bag off of him and propped himself on his elbows.

"Good morning Soubi."

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm glad. Do you feel like having breakfast? We have cereal, but I was thinking that we could go out to eat if you want to."

"That sounds really great. I don't even remember the last time I ate at a restaurant."

"Alright then. Why don't you get up and get ready and we'll head out."

"Ok, I'll be ready in a minute."

Soubi watched as the boy sprung up from his sleeping bag and walked over in the direction of the bathroom. He heard the shower being turned on and a few minutes later Ritsuka came out wearing the same clothes from the day before and with his black hair dripping wet. Soubi smiled when he saw the neko.

"We need to stop and get you some more clothes too."

"Oh, you don't have to do that Soubi. I have clothes back at my house. We could just go stop by and grab those."

"Do you really think that your mother won't react to both of us _just stopping by_?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on letting her know that we were there. There's a balcony that leads into my room. We can just go in that way. I hardly ever lock it, so I'm sure it's open."

"Are you sure you want to do that? I don't mind buying you new things."

"No, you've already done enough for me. Plus, there are some things that I really like there."

"How about we stop there before we eat and go furniture shopping today?"

"Thank you."

Soubi gave a small nod before walking past the teen and into the bathroom. He reemerged carrying a dry towel and tossed it to the neko.

"Here, you need to dry your hair more. You'll catch a cold."

A blush appeared on Ritsuka's cheeks and he promptly started to rub the towel on his head. Soubi waited until the boy was finished before he ushered him out the front door. It took Ritsuka a moment to figure out the orientation of his house from Soubi's house, but after a moment he had taken the blond man's hand and was leading him in the right direction.

"Did you ever go to my house Soubi?"

"Not really. I mean I've seen it, but I've never gone in."

"Really? Did Seimei know that you were there?"

Soubi paused for a moment before answering, "Well, no."

Ritsuka smiled and let out a small laugh.

"This time you can come in, ok?"

"Alright, but we should try to go relatively quickly. I don't want your mother to hear us."

"Yeah, we'll go fast, and I'll be quiet."

They were now standing outside of the house. The balcony was about ten feet off the ground, but Soubi quickly found a way to climb up. He moved easily and hauled himself up onto the platform before reaching down to help the young teen up. Ritsuka moved over to the door and gave the handle and hard tug. Nothing happened. The glass door didn't budge at all. Soubi moved over so that he could examine the latch on the inside.

"It's locked Ritsuka."

"Oh really? I never would have guessed…. My mother must have come onto my room recently. She can't stand me leaving any of the doors or windows unlocked. She's been really afraid ever since Seimei died."

"Yes, well I don't really blame her."

Soubi stepped in front of Ritsuka, which partially blocked the boy's view of whatever the man was doing. The artist placed the palm of his hand over the area where the lock was. A second later, Ritsuka heard a small click. He watched as Soubi easily slid the door open and stepped aside so that the raven haired boy could enter.

"Soubi! How did you do that?"

"Not right now. I'll explain later."

"Fine, I know we don't have time, but I expect you to give me a real explanation."

"I swear Ritsuka. I'll tell you whatever you want me to."

"…Ok. Now come on. You can help me grab some stuff."

Soubi followed obediently behind the teen. Ritsuka went over to his closet and dug around for a few moments before pulling out a black duffle bag.

"Here, we'll put the stuff in this."

The man nodded in response and started placing the clothes that Ritsuka handed him into the bag. He noticed that almost all of the neko's clothing was the same or similar; dark jeans, tee-shirts, and a few zip-up jackets.

"Is that all that you're going to take?"

"Um-hm. I don't have many clothes that I want. Just let me get a few other things."

"Okay"

Soubi watched the boy as he darted around the room, gathering small items that didn't seem particularly interesting, but obviously held some value to Ritsuka. Soon the bag contained some of the boy's clothes, a few books, some CD's and a large photo album. Ritsuka zipped up the partially filled, duffle bag, and slung it over his shoulder. Soubi followed him out of the room. Once they were outside, the man turned around and placed his hand over the lock again. There was another click, meaning that the door was now locked. Soubi chuckled at the boy's obvious confusion and annoyance. He was glad that the neko didn't feel the need to press the subject of the locked door any further. He was fully intending on explain everything later, but right now wasn't the best time to get into something so complicated.

After they had finished gathering Ritsuka's belongings, they headed out in search of a place to eat. There were a few places that looked good, but the wait was rather long and both of them were getting hungry. They passed a few more places before they found something suitable. It was a nice little diner and there didn't seem to be many people inside. Soubi led the boy through the entrance, and a small bell clinked when the door was pushed open. There was a sign stating that they should seat themselves, so they decided to sit at a small booth in the corner of the room. A waitress walked over and handed them their menus and two glasses of water. They looked through the selection of meals and waited for the waitress to return. Soubi ordered a cup of coffee and some toast, while Ritsuka ordered a plate of pancakes. Neither of them said anything while they waited for their food.

Soubi was surprised that Ritsuka wasn't asking how he had opened the locked door. He had been expecting a violent assault of questions form the teen, but the boy hardly even looked at him. Finally, the neko made eye-contact with the older man. He looked as if he was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the arrival of their breakfast. Both ate quickly and silently. Soubi walked over to the counter to pay the bill while Ritsuka went outside to wait. The blond man finished and joined the teen out on the sidewalk. The silence was starting to get awkward, and Soubi was worried that the neko was upset with him. He was still planning on telling Ritsuka everything, but he didn't feel that the diner was the best place to do that. He pulled out a cigarette and lighted it. The boy shot him an unhappy glance before stretching up on his toes and plucking the smoldering tube from between the artist's lips.

"If you have to smoke, don't do it around me."

"Alright, I won't. I'm sorry."

Ritsuka nodded in approval and grabbed one of Soubi's hands, "We should get going."

Soubi smiled a quickly agreed. The day had just started and they had lots more to do. The older man intertwined his fingers with Ritsuka's and led him forward. He was surprised when the neko didn't resist. Whatever it has been that had made the boy upset, was now apparently gone.

The next thing that they needed to get was a bed. Although he didn't seem to have minded very much, Soubi wasn't about to allow Ritsuka to sleep on the hard floor anymore. It took them a few tries before they were able to find a furniture store that had what they wanted, but they ended up purchasing a decent bed for a good price. Soubi however, had managed to forget that they would have to have a way to transport their purchases back to his apartment. The teen hadn't had any trouble carrying the half-full duffle bag across town, but moving a bed frame and the mattress was a whole different story.

Soubi knew that they only had one option; call someone with a car. He reached into his coat pocket a removed his cell phone. The screen flashed on when he flipped it open and quickly scrolled through his contacts. He highlighted Kio's name and pressed send. Ritsuka watched the older man place the phone at his ear. After a few seconds, someone on the other end picked up and Soubi greeted this man with relief.

"Kio would you mind coming down here and helping us move some things back to my apartment."

Soubi expected his friend to give an enthusiastic yes, but instead he sounded confused.

Kio's reply finally came, "Us? Who's us? Who are you with Sou-chan?"

"I don't see how it concerns you, but I'm with Seimei's younger brother. He's going to be staying with me from now on and I needed to buy some things for him. I don't have a car obviously so we don't have any way to get this stuff home. I would really appreciate it if you could help me out."

"Yeah ok, I'll be there in a minute. But just so you know, I don't approve of this whole thing. I mean look at what happened to you after Seimei. I don't want you hanging around wit those types of people."

"MmmHmmm… Thank you Kio."

Soubi quickly explained the location of the store and said goodbye Kio. He closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. Ritsuka wasn't entirely sure what had just happened and was looking up at the blond man with a questioning expression.

"I called my friend who has a car. He's going to come by and help us get this back to the apartment."

"Oh, ok."

A man in the store finished boxing up the bed frame and wrapped the mattress in plastic. Just a few minutes later, a small gray car pulled up outside the front entrance. The same employee helped Soubi and Kio tie the mattress to the top of the car. Soubi was sure that the teen felt uncomfortable around his friend. He didn't blame him; Kio gave off a strange vibe. The man was full of energy and enthusiasm for everything that he did. Both Ritsuka and Soubi were more comfortable with silence. Kio examined the neko thoroughly before he seemed to decide that he was decent enough to deserve to live with Soubi. Even though it wasn't long before he lightened up to Ritsuka, Kio never stopped whining to his friend about how he had never even been invited to the artist's new apartment. Soubi ignored the bitching and helped the raven haired teen into the backseat of the car. He climbed in beside him and gave his friend directions to his apartment.

After returning to his new home, Ritsuka took pleasure in watching Kio and Soubi haul the purchase into the apartment and then attempted to assemble it. Obviously, neither of the men was very good at this type of thing. They tried to follow the directions, but only ended up with multiple pieces of the bed bolted to other pieces that they weren't supposed to be bolted to. Ritsuka found this amusing for a short while, but before long, he took on the responsibility of directing the friends' actions. The directions weren't actually all that complicated once they had located the copy that was in Japanese. Before long, they had something that actually looked like a bed.

Soubi seemed very pleased with himself and wanted to set off right away to go buy the other things that Ritsuka needed. Kio was able to convince him to take a fifteen minute break before going out again. They had something to east and drink before leaving; this time they were prepared and took the car along. Kio drove Soubi and Ritsuka around, looking for different stores. They stopped into another furniture shop to purchase a dresser and a nightstand. Soubi had wanted to buy a desk too, but Ritsuka had told him that he didn't need it and preferred to do homework in the living room with the TV on. This statement had given the artist the idea of buying a TV to put in Ritsuka's room. Both Kio and the teen agreed that such an item wasn't necessary and, instead, offered the idea of getting a reading lamp for the boy. Soubi agreed that the lamp would be better. They purchased some curtains for the window and some new bedding before deciding that the bedroom would now be properly furnished.

Kio and Soubi managed to cram everything into the back of the car. All the furniture had to be disassembled in order to fit, and neither of the men was looking forward to reassembling it. Before returning to the apartment, the three made a final stop at the grocery store. Soubi bought enough food to last them quite a while. He had almost forgotten how much he loved to cook. Seeing all of the fresh produce and ingredients reignited that creative flame. Cooking was one of the few things that Soubi loved as much as painting. He could go through the same basic process; creating something from nothing. He could combine the ingredients much the same way that he could mix his paints. Something beautiful would be derived from extraordinarily simple items.

After piling the plastic bags in whatever open space that they could find in the car, they headed back. Ritsuka had seemed excited to hear that Soubi was planning to cook for them. He had spent so many years afraid of eating his meals. His mother made this simple activity into a nightmarish experience. He had no idea what foods were the _right _foods. Which ones would the real Ritsuka eat? Was his mother trying to test him again? Maybe now he would be able to enjoy something as simple as sitting down to a meal.

The car pulled back up to the driveway and all three of them had to make several trips, to and from the car, before everything had been brought inside. Once the groceries had been brought in and put away, they opened the boxes containing the furniture and started the assembly once again. This time they followed the instructions, and had the dresser and nightstand put together in a very short amount of time. Ritsuka's new room was nearly complete now. He put his new bedding on his new mattress, hung his curtains, and put all of him clothes and belongings into his dresser. Seeing the neko's smiling face caused a surge of warmth and happiness to course through his body. This was all that he wanted.

Once they were finished with everything, Kio and Soubi sat down to have a quick drink before Kio had to head back out. Ritsuka didn't want to bother either of the men, so he decided to read one of the books that he had taken from his old room earlier that day. The teen turned on the lamp beside his bed and settled down into the soft pillows. This was his favorite book. He remembered when Seimei had given it to him. It had only been about two months before he died, when his older brother had come home with the battered book. The brothers' mother didn't approve of Ritsuka's reading habits. That was something that the real Ritsuka just didn't do. The neko was forced hide the majority of his books from his mother. Because of this, the boy never had much to read. He had already read this book at least ten times before. He knew the story by heart and had even memorized a bit of the dialogue.

He was only a few pages in, when Soubi entered the room and informed him that Kio had gone home. Ritsuka was relieved by that; it had been an eventful day and he was fairly tired. Soubi walked over to the bed and sat down beside the raven haired teen. They just listened to each other's breathing for a while. Soubi could feel his entire body relax from just being near Ritsuka. All the tensions and stresses from the day were gone now. All that mattered to the blond man was being here with the one that he loved.

Soubi moved his hand over Ritsuka's and intertwined their fingers. "I'm sorry about today Ritsuka, I'm sure that it wasn't very fun for you."

"What do you mean? Today was fine. I think you worry too much Soubi. Why wouldn't I have had fun?"

"It's just that I wasn't expecting to invite Kio, and I was worried that you might have thought that I was ignoring you all day."

"It really is fine. I had a good time today, and I'm glad that I got a chance to meet one of your friends. Kio's really nice. He may be a little strange, but I still didn't mind having him around."

"That's good, I'm glad. I promise that you can have the next few days to relax. You don't have to worry about anything when you're here."

"Thank you Soubi….. but, there's one thing that I was wondering about."

"What is it?"

"How did you open that lock today? At my house the door was locked from the inside and you opened it easily."

"That's something complicated. I can't explain all of it now, but I can tell you a little. In a while I'll be able to show you what I'm talking about, but until then, you will have to be patient; not much of this it going to make a lot of sense."

Ritsuka seemed particularly interested now. Soubi knew that telling him this might not be a very good idea, but he loved the boy and he didn't want to keep such a huge secret from him. Soubi sighed and continued with his explanation. "You already know that your brother and I had known each other. Our relationship is difficult to define. We were very close, but in a different way than most other people are. I loved your brother, but he was not my equal. I was his servant; I still am, and will always be, loyal to Seimei. He was the only reason that I lived. We were brought together a few years ago. My purpose was to protect him; I am his fighter. It's a difficult idea to understand, but I believe that you should have little problem with it." Ritsuka now appeared even more confused and intrigued, "In this world, there are things that go on, behind the scenes, so to speak. There is a community consisting of groups called fighter units. These units are composed of one person with the role of a fighter, and one person with the role of the sacrifice."

"I'm not totally sure what you're saying, but from this I think I can conclude that you were Seimei's fighter?"

"Yes. Fighter units carry out spell battles in which the sacrifice controls the fighter, who is the one that casts the spells. I'm sure that it will be difficult for you to understand right now. The fighter inflicts the damage, and the sacrifice is the one who receives it. It is the fighter's job to protect the sacrifice. The two people in a fighting unit are connected in a unique way. They both share the name that was given to them at birth. The connection between them is immense and more powerful than any other. One cannot live without the other."

"Soubi… but then, why are you here? If you had a connection with Seimei like that, then how are you able to go on without him? I mean, even I sometimes think that I can't go on. Life doesn't really seem worth living now that he's gone."

"I remain here because it was Seimei's will. He ordered me to continue living. After Seimei died, I had no wish to remain alive, but I can never disobey Seimei. It was more painful than any torture, living without him. I felt as if my world could shatter apart at any moment. But now I see that it is possible for me to continue. Now that I've found you, I have a reason to live again. You're my entire world now. Our fates have been joined and there is no escape. I can already feel my mind changing. I know that I have to let go of Seimei. It is my responsibility to protect _you _now. There's no running away from this now Ritsuka; you've become my sacrifice."

"S-Soubi… How can I?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how to explain it. We were drawn together for a reason. I loved Seimei indefinitely, but the way I feel about you is different. I fell in love with you instantly and I still don't understand why. It doesn't matter though; as long as I have you everything will be fine. If you stay by my side then I know that I can stand up to the world once again. I have mourned for Seimei, and even myself, for long enough. Will you do this with me Ritsuka? Will you love me?"

"...How could you ask something like that Soubi?" The older man looked shocked and hurt when Ritsuka said this, "You don't ask someone to love you; love just happens. I can't believe that you had to ask me that. Of course I will stay with you Soubi. I've already told you this. I agreed to move in with you. I trust you, but most of all, I love you. I haven't really fully understood it up until now. I didn't want to believe that I could actually be in love with you when I had just met you. I have been trying to figure it all out, but now I know that it's useless. I love you, and that's all the information that I need. If being forced into this world of fighter units and spells means that I will be able to stay by your side, then I have no worries. I will understand eventually, and right now I am more than happy to just remain in your presence."

"I'm so happy Ritsuka. I truly love you."

"I love you too Soubi."

**

Wow, that was a long chapter. More of the events in this chapter will start to make sense later. I'm sorry if any of you are confused by this, but more of the characters' pasts will be revealed later, and hopefully that will help to clear some things up.

Anyway, thank you all for reading!!!

I love love love those reviews so keep 'em comin!


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